What to do in Osaka and Kyoto in November
 

I will be spending a 5 days in Osaka/Kyoto from Nov 20. What are the best things to see and do?

go to kyoto and check out kinkakuji temple, kiyomizu temple, ginkakuji temple, fushimi inari temple. these are my favorites. i:ve been there a few times. i live here and i still haven:t seen much of kyoto yet. <BR> <BR>go to gion. it:s an area east of Shijo street. it:s cool. you may even see geisha there. it:s a bit pricy. don:t eat or drink there. just look around. sorry that:s all i can offer you.

why not go to Koyto in 3rd week of October, the parade, and the festival. <BR>I just spend a week in kyoto and two days in osaka. <BR> <BR> <BR>

You can also take the train (from either Kyoto or Osaka) to Nara. In Nara Park you will find the world's largest wooden building, home to the world's largest bronze Buddha and many other shrines and temples. You will also find lots of tame deer. We also took the train to Kobe from Osaka and had a reasonable and delicious Kobe beef lunch set (1800 yen) at Sanda-ya. In Osaka be sure to visit Osaka Castle. Have fun.

I think you chose a great time to go to Japan. There should still be festivals going on during that time. I recommend getting a copy of the magazine Kansai TimeOut - you should find this in most bookstores, the airport should have it too. TimeOut lists all the festivals and events that are going on for the month including directions and contact numbers. My most highly recommended spot in Osaka/Kyoto is the Osaka Aquarium. It is the world's largest, housing sharks and all. In the same area (Tempozan) it has the world's largest(or so they claim) ferris wheel. If you go at night you get a fantastic view of the city. <BR>Osaka is the modern city whereas Kyoto is the cultural part of Japan. Take some time to go to the temples. Since you don't have too much time, go to the main ones - kiyomizu and maybe the golden temple. Nara is also a good place to go. It takes about 40mins to get there by train and they even have free guided tours in English. In the train station there is a tourist office and they can set you up with a guide. It might best if you call ahead. Nightlife is the best in Osaka in Shinsaibashi (the spelling might be off a little) It is pretty amazing at night. Go a little early to do some shopping and stay to catch the night life. Just a word of caution: The trains stop at a certain hour and you might have to stay out all night. The interesting part is that the party starts at 2/3:00am and goes to 6:00am when the trains start again. It's worth the experience. <BR> <BR>

Just returned from Kyoto 3 days ago. There is so much to do and see there you will not be bored. Fall colors are great this time of year so it tends to get crowded in tourist areas especially on weekends. Go to Nara, great city. <BR>